By Amy Hinds
The Backstory
Many times, when I’m in a new interior space, I can’t help but wonder about its backstory. What choices were made to get to the final look? What challenges were faced? How did the original design have to change? Because as anyone in the construction industry can tell you, from the final set of plans to the completion of the building, there are always changes.
Changes can happen for a wide range of reasons, and the construction team must find ways to make adjustments that work within the project’s parameters, timeline, and budget. These potential changes can seem daunting, and keeping changes to a minimum is preferable, but personally, I somewhat enjoy these challenges and the urgency to find a solution as construction presses on. To me, it’s a perfect chance to turn lemons into lemonade.
For projects that I have had the pleasure to work on, I intimately know the backstory. I can walk into the completed space and point out every little change that occurred after the final drawing set had been delivered. However, I can also take a step back and appreciate that through coordination and cooperation, the result maintained the integrity of the initial design.
In early January 2025, SR/A wrapped one of its best projects yet, when the last furniture pieces were installed at Sovren. Located in West Hyattsville, MD, Sovren is a 293-unit multi-family property developed by Gilbane Development. This property is part of the larger Riverfront Development, and features desired amenities and living spaces with adjacent access to the WMATA Metro. This project is SR/A’s first time collaborating with Gilbane. The superb team responsible for Sovren, that SR/A was honored to be a part of, included DCS Design, CBG Building Company, and MCLA Architectural Lighting Design.
For the past three years, the Sovren team has worked together to complete this component of the Riverfront Development. I’m glad to say that Sovren did not experience any extensive interior design modifications, but some adjustments had to be made. But before relieving those secrets, let me take a moment to recap our vision for this property.
SR/A’s vision and design intent
From its conception, connection has been at the forefront of this development. Starting with the location, Sovren not only links its residents to the surrounding community but to the wider DC/Maryland areas with direct access to the metro. Within the building itself, the wide range of amenity spaces provides opportunities for social engagement and chances to build community bonds. From our initial proposal, SR/A’s vision for Sovren was to create spaces that provided both warmth and welcome, surprise and delight. The design was intended to be subtle and thoughtful with opportunities for unique furnishing and art.
We all have a connection to the earth, and we felt that natural elements, specifically wood, should play an essential role in the design. Millwork features are spread throughout the amenity spaces and provide a continuous sense of warmth and comfort. Keeping Sovren’s architectural material selections within an earthy, neutral palette helped to bring a refreshing balance to the interior atmosphere. In as many places as possible, greenery was used to bring the outdoors inside. Together, these components work to create an enduring experience of inviting tranquility. While the installed material selections were kept clean, friendly, and classic, we were able to introduce moments of excitement and fun with the FF+E selections.
Pieces that brought rich colors, impressive scale, and comforting textures were selected to enhance the beauty of the interior and define the purpose of each space, creating areas where residents can interact, socialize, work, and play.
In the end, the vision of a connected, welcoming, and vibrant interior was achieved, and SR/A could not be prouder of this project. So now, let’s get into some of the changes that were made and how they impacted the project. As I said earlier, there were not too many changes. Lots of adjustments but not too many flat-out changes. I’m going to share two that I believe had the most positive impact.
Adjustment– Alteration of Unit Entry Design – working to keep original design.
SR/A’s design work in multi-family corridors centers around the unit entry. We like to go bold in the entries. We started with a dark accent color at the entry setback. Each unit door is slightly recessed away from the main corridor path, and the dark accent color provides a point of emphasis throughout the long corridors. Next, we address the lighting level requirement by including a sleek, modern, 49” tall sconce at each entry. Finally, three simple pieces of molding that in coordination with the sconce, created a simple yet unique entry detail. Sounds easy enough, right? The design described above is included as a “typical” elevation within a construction documentation set and usually takes a very small portion of a sheet with the set.
It wasn’t until later in construction that this detail would require a lot of adjustment time. A portion of the Sovren was constructed using structural wood framing (light-frame). This meant that the spacing of the wood framing varied from level to level. The lower levels required more framing than the higher levels, which meant that space within the walls for things like electrical boxes became tighter. The placement of the boxes would have to be shifted horizontally to work around the framing. So, having one typical elevation for the unit entries would no longer be possible. To maintain the original design, SR/A created 30 detail drawings showing the placement of the electrical boxes at the units in the light-frame portion of the building.
It was a hurdle for sure, but one that paid off as our original design intent for the unit entries was maintained. Every time I think about those corridors, I remember the added time spent to make the design work.
Change – Alternate Backsplash in Restrooms – working to find a new solution
One of the main reasons that a designer will have to adjust during the construction phase is due to material delays. The project must keep moving and can not be held up by one material. It stinks! There’s no other way to say it but for a project this scale, we must keep going. Sovren has two wonderful courtyards to provide the residents with plenty of outdoor space to play and relax. The larger of the two has a pool! Always a wonderful amenity to have on site. The main Amenity restrooms on the first level also serve as the restrooms for the courtyard and pool. We wanted these restrooms to be durable and cleanable but stylish and impactful. Instead of traditional stalls, millwork-wrapped walls were constructed. An octagonal tile with color and texture variance was selected for the floor. Finally, the vanity would be finished with a solid surface stone material that would continue up the wall behind the vanity. It just sounds beautiful!
But sadly, there was a supply issue with the colorway of the solid surface material we had selected. We considered other colorways, but based on the selection and palette of the other finishes, none of the alternates works. It was time for a little redesign. Instead of shifting to a typical tile backsplash, we decided to work with a mural wallcovering manufacturer that can print designs onto waterproof vinyl; they have products that can be installed in a shower. This gave us the ability to maintain the durability needed in a restroom and add a moment of fun and pop with a beautiful mural design.
In the end, this change made the space better. I love the way these vanities turned out and the impact the wallcovering brings to the space. The deep color in the is rich, warm, and unexpected for a restroom.
At SR/A, we are extremely proud of this project and believe the interior spaces will establish a lasting connection for the residents at Sovren. We complete this job with a profound sense of connection and community with the entire development/construction team and with the property itself. Remembering where it all began and the effort, adjustments, and changes required to reach the successful end.
Amy Hinds is SR/A’s Design Manager